“YOU CANNOT SUMMON ENOUGH DEMONS TO OVERPOWER CASTLE BLACKSTONE… BUT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO CONVINCE AN ARMY TO FIGHT ON YOUR SIDE.”
“An army from where?” Eric asked sarcastically.
“FROM HELL.”
24
Eric stared at the Dark Figure. “Hell?!”
“IT IS A DIMENSION OF PAIN AND SUFFERING ASSOCIATED WITH FIRE AND – ”
“I know what Hell is,” Eric snapped. “But what was that about armies?”
“THERE ARE ARMIES IN HELL WHICH COULD PERHAPS BE PERSUADED TO YOUR CAUSE. THE ONE I SUGGEST IS KORVOS, GENERAL OF THE PRINCIPALITIES AND DOMINIONS OF HELL.”
“But I’m already summoning demons – aren’t they coming from Hell?”
“NO, THEY ARE SYSTEM-GENERATED CONSTRUCTS THAT ONLY EXIST FROM THE MOMENT YOU SUMMON THEM, THEN ARE DESTROYED WHEN THEY ARE NO LONGER NEEDED. HELL IS AN ACTUAL DIMENSION THAT RUNS PARALLEL TO THIS ONE, ONLY FAR MORE INHOSPITABLE TO LIFE. IN THE HELL DIMENSION, NPCS EXIST IN AN ONGOING STORYLINE WITH ITS OWN HISTORY, MUCH THE SAME AS NPCS HERE.”
“What’s all this blather about systems and NPCs?” Merridack asked testily.
Eric hushed him with an outstretched arm and continued to stare at the Dark One. “Why would these other NPCs be any better than what I’m already summoning?”
“THE CREATURES AND SPECTERS YOU SUMMON ARE CLOSER TO ANIMALS IN MENTAL CAPACITY. THEY HAVE LITTLE INTELLECT OR APTITUDE FOR STRATEGIC REASONING, AND ARE BEST SUITED TO CARRYING OUT RELATIVELY SIMPLE ORDERS. THE ALLIES I AM SUGGESTING ARE NPCS WHOSE INTELLECT EQUALS OR SURPASSES THAT OF HUMAN PLAYERS, AND ARE CAPABLE OF INDEPENDENT ACTION.”
“Which means they would be far more difficult to control.”
“THEY WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL. THEY MUST BE PERSUADED. IT WOULD REQUIRE A LEADER OF EQUALS VERSUS A TYRANT OVER ANIMALS.”
Eric stood there considering.
A leader of equals.
The idea was appealing… being a leader people followed because of the strength of his vision, rather than a parlor magician who just cast spells and sent animals roaring after enemies…
Merridack, however, wasn’t having it. “Whoa, whoa, whoa – I didn’t sign up for this!”
Eric glared at him. “You agreed to fight for me.”
“Not alongside an army of Saroth knows what from the pits of Hell!”
“You can go back to being dead any time you like. Just say the word.”
Merridack grumbled under his breath, but backed off.
Cythera, however, took Eric aside and whispered, “This is very dangerous.”
“But the potential rewards are immense.”
“Forgive me for saying this, but you are letting your ambitions outstrip your abilities.”
“You’re the one who told me to summon the Unnamed One.”
“I told you about the Unnamed One. I never told you to summon him.” Her fear turned briefly to anger. “And I certainly never told you to cut my throat to do so. But if you cannot bind this army, they are free to turn on you whenever they wish.”
“AS WOULD ANY ARMY OF NPCS AND HUMAN PLAYERS,” the Dark Figure spoke up.
She glanced fearfully at the Dark Figure.
Eric had to admit, it was a little creepy. Despite their whispered conversation, the Unnamed One had heard everything. It was a reminder that, although the program might not be omniscient, it was frighteningly close.
She looked at Eric again. “I implore you not to do this.”
He was struck by how beautiful she was now that her scars were gone.
He was also struck by how much her eyes shone with fear.
“You and Merridack go over there for a minute,” he said, gesturing down the street.
“What? Why?” the thief asked angrily.
“I want to have a private chat with my friend here.”
“Why don’t you want us to hear?”
“Just go,” Eric said in exasperation.
“What, are you going to threaten to kill me again if I don’t?”
“I might.”
“You’re like my mother. ‘Eat your vegetables, Merridack, or I’ll kill ya. Put a warmer cloak on, Merridack, or I’ll kill ya.’”
“I’m beginning to regret resurrecting you.”
“I’m beginning to regret being resurrected.”
“That can be fixed.”
Merridack shook his head in disgust, but he and Cythera retreated down the street.
Eric turned back towards the Dark Figure. “This Korvos… he’s an NPC, right?”
“YES.”
“Why can’t you just make him help us, no questions asked?”
“HE IS CONTROLLED BY A DIFFERENT PROGRAM.”
“You’ve brought NPCs back to life!” he said, gesturing down the street at Merridack and Cythera.
“THAT IS DIFFERENT. I WAS MERELY RETRIEVING THEIR ATTRIBUTES FROM A DATABASE.”
“This Korvos guy – could I possess him with one of my demons?”
“NO. IT WOULD NOT ONLY BE IMPOSSIBLE, YOU WOULD MAKE A VERY POWERFUL ENEMY IF YOU TRIED.”
“But you know how to summon him.”
“YES.”
Eric thought about it some more.
On the one hand, dealing with Merridack was already a pain in the ass – and he could threaten Merridack with death. What would it be like to depend on another NPC he couldn’t dispose of as easily if things got out of control?
On the other hand, it sounded like dealing with this Korvos guy might take things to a whole different level.
He remembered Cythera’s words:
You are letting your ambitions outstrip your abilities.
He smiled darkly.
I already made ONE deal with the devil… what’s one more?
Besides, if I want to quit, I just log off. I can walk away at any time.
It’s only a game.
“Alright,” he said to the Dark One. “Let’s give it a try.”
25
Mira
Daniel was there at the curb when Mira stepped out of her self-driving car. She was wearing her flannel shirt, this time over a T-shirt of a nearly eighty-year-old album cover – the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s.
She stared up in awe at the gigantic latticework of steel beams and glass panels that made up the façade of the Varidian building. Then she took a look around the grounds.
For half a mile in every direction, various gardens surrounded Varidian’s headquarters: Japanese temples with bridges over streams… topiaries sculpted in the shapes of dinosaurs… mazes cut from ten-foot-high bushes… flowering gardens based on Versailles.
“Not bad,” she said, obviously underplaying how impressed she was.
Daniel handed her a visitor’s badge on a lanyard. “Thanks for coming.”
“Hey, a tour of the place where they make Shattered Lands, plus we get to play the game? I’m totally in.”
She looped the badge over her head and they walked through the cavernous lobby. Once they passed check-in, there was a beautiful rain forest atrium, several restaurants, a dry cleaners, a top-of-the-line gym, and a high-end spa before they reached the elevators.
“All these are free for employees?” she asked Daniel.
“Yep.”
“Geez, must be nice to work here. Lots of perks.”
“If you have time to use them.”
They got into an elevator by themselves. Daniel pushed floor number six.
“I’ve gotta confess, I don’t exactly understand what’s going on,” she said.
Daniel grinned. “What, my completely vague request wasn’t clear enough for you?”
“‘Hey,’” Mira said, doing a halfway passable imitation of Daniel, “‘I need you to come over to Varidian, because we need you for something, but you can’t ask what it is. And we need you to do something, but you can’t ask what that is, either.’”
Daniel laughed. “We’re just going to be playing Shattered Lands is all.”
“Then why all
the secrecy?”
Daniel’s levity disappeared. “Eric apparently hacked some of the company’s servers.”
Mira stared at him. “What?!”
“Yeah, and… I can’t tell you exactly what he did… but there’s some corporate espionage-level stuff going on.”
“Oh my GOD.”
“I know. Here’s the thing: he’s able to cover his tracks in the game, and they can’t find him. So we’ve got to go hunt him down.”
“Are you serious?”
“Totally serious.”
“Isn’t Shattered Lands the digital landmass equivalent of Europe, North Africa, and the Arctic circle? He could be anywhere.”
“Except we know he went back to Blackstone.”
“How?”
“Remember that whole part about I can’t tell you stuff?”
She sighed. “So what do you want me to do?”
“I need you to have my back. That’s all. We’re going to track him down, and I need to talk to him. That’s it.”
“Judging from our last encounter with him, that might not go as smoothly as you’re making it sound.”
“You have no idea. Since the quest, he’s also got a lot of support from within the game. A really powerful ally.”
“Who?”
Daniel paused…
Then both he and Mira spoke at the same time.
“I can’t tell you.” “You can’t tell me.”
She laughed, then teased him, “So I’m just a bow for hire, is that it?”
Daniel looked at her reproachfully. “You know that’s not all.”
She grinned. “I know.”
The door opened and Daniel led the way into a gleaming metal hallway.
“You’re going to meet my dad and a co-worker of his,” he explained. “My dad’s cool, but Dr. Wolff’s a little… she’s kind of intense.”
They walked into an antiseptic room with several large, metal pods with glass doors. Inside the pods were plush mattresses and black VR masks.
A tall, brown-haired man was talking to a blonde woman in glasses. As soon as Daniel and Mira entered, the two adults turned to look at them.
“This is her?” the woman asked.
“Gee, that’s not rude at all,” the man rebuked her sarcastically, then walked over and extended his hand. “I’m Jon Lauer, Daniel’s dad.”
Mira shook his hand, then introduced herself. “Mira.”
“And that’s Dr. Wolff,” Daniel said, pointing at the woman.
“Hi,” Mira said with a wave.
“Did Daniel tell you everything you’ll be doing?” the woman asked.
O-kaaaay, right down to business.
“He said we’re supposed to find Eric, and I’ll be backing him up. And that Eric’s supposedly got some sort of really powerful ally.”
Rebecca gave Daniel some side-eye for a second, then apparently decided he hadn’t violated any terms of confidentiality.
“That’s correct,” Rebecca said. “I’ll be helping you while you’re in the game, as well.”
Great.
“Are your parents okay with this?” Mr. Lauer asked.
“With me hanging out with a friend and playing video games, sure,” Mira said. “Doing some 007 stuff with a corporation – I didn’t tell them too much about that.”
“You shouldn’t have told them anything,” Dr. Wolff snapped.
“That was a joke, Rebecca,” Mr. Lauer said. “Calm down.”
“Oh,” the scientist said, then gestured at the pods. “Alright, get in. We have a lot of work to do.”
26
Eric
The sky was still dark as Eric and the Dark One glided above the forest floor, miles from Blackstone’s walls.
He had left his resurrected henchmen back in the city. He didn’t want to deal with Merridack’s constant rebelliousness or Cythera’s fear and doubts. What was about to happen next was too important for him to be distracted by his underlings.
The Dark One came to a halt in a clearing, its robes of shadow billowing around it like smoke.
“THIS SHOULD SUFFICE.”
It began to move its arms in subtle patterns. Lines of light and strings of numbers began to glow in the air.
Suddenly it seemed as though the forest in front of them ripped apart. Within the edges of the tear, fire burned and brimstone glowed, and shrieks of pain rent the air.
Eric winced and stepped back, startled.
“KORVOS, COME FORTH.”
There was the sound of horse’s hooves on rock, and an eerie voice called out from the rip in space and time:
“Who summons Korvos?”
“THE UNNAMED ONE.”
Out of the flames walked a horse – or rather a fearsome and ghastly imitation of one. The flesh was rotting off its frame so that its bones were visible. Spiked armor covered its head, neck, and body.
But even more fearsome was what sat in the saddle.
It was a figure clad in armor, with a horned helmet and a tattered cape. Instead of a face within the helmet, there were two bright yellow eyes glowing within impenetrable darkness. Black flames flickered and danced across every inch of its body.
As the demon-horse walked out of the rift and into the field, the General of the Damned bowed his head at the neck.
“I beg your forgiveness for my harsh tone, Great One.”
“THINK NOTHING OF IT.”
“Why have you summoned me?”
“I PRESENT TO YOU ERIC RICHARDS, SORCERER OF BLACKSTONE.”
The demon general stared down at Eric.
It felt to Eric like an icicle piercing his chest.
“You traffic with humans, Great One?”
“HE HAS MUCH POTENTIAL. I HAVE CHOSEN HIM AS MY EMISSARY IN THIS WORLD.”
Eric wasn’t sure whether he disliked the term ‘emissary’ more, or the ‘I have chosen’ part.
He wanted to say, ‘Hey, asshole, I showed up on your doorstep,’ but he held his tongue.
“I see. And why have I been summoned?”
The Dark One gestured with his hand, as though to say to Eric, The floor is yours.
“I want to conquer Castle Blackstone, and then all of the Shattered Lands,” Eric said. “But I need an army.”
The general looked at the Unnamed One. “Is this true?”
“YES.”
“Is he capable of doing it?”
“YES.”
Although it was nice to get the vote of confidence from Unnamed Evil itself, Eric was beginning to get annoyed with being shut out of the conversation.
“Is he – ”
“Hey!” Eric shouted angrily. “I’m standing right here!”
The general looked back at Eric. “What is your plan for conquest?”
“First Blackstone, then take the Shattered Lands city by city.”
“That is not a plan,” the general scoffed. “That is a desire. A wish.”
“I have a plan,” Eric sneered, “but I’m not telling it to someone who’s not an ally.”
“Why not?”
“Because if you’re not an ally, you’re a potential enemy.”
The general was silent for a second, but then eventually seemed to agree with the reasoning. “So you need an army.”
“Yes.”
“And you wish that army to be mine.”
“That’s what the – uh, Unnamed One suggested.”
The general looked again at the Dark Figure and bowed his head respectfully.
“It raises one question, though.”
“What?”
“Why haven’t you been able to raise an army of the living in your own world? Why must you come to the Realm of the Damned for help?”
Eric wanted to say, ‘Because I’ve only been playing the game for three days, asshole’ – but he didn’t think that would go over very well.
“Because my OTHER ally, the Unnamed One, suggested you first,” Eric said testily. “If he’d suggested building a human army, that’s what
I would have done.”
The general didn’t have anything to say to that.
“Others will follow us once we win – but if you join me first, you get a greater share of the spoils. What do you want in return for your help?”
The general was silent for a second. Then –
“A fourth of the Shattered Lands, from the Seas of Alombria to the Deserts of Silarta.”
Eric kind of wish he had a map, but oh well.
He figured if he needed to dispose of Korvos at some point in the future, he’d be powerful enough one day to do it.
“Done,” Eric said. He stepped forward to shake the general’s hand – then quickly reconsidered when he remembered the flames dancing along his armor.
“THE AGREEMENT IS WITNESSED AND SEALED BY THE POWER OF HELL ITSELF,” the Unnamed One rumbled.
Okay… that didn’t sound so good…
But he figured he was getting ahead of himself.
Conquer the Shattered Lands first, then figure out what to do with the asshole who wanted a fourth of it.
Not to mention the big, ugly ball of darkness that wanted out of the computer.
“I would hear of this plan,” the general said, then added, “…my ally.”
27
Daniel
The White Room faded out, and he found himself on horseback in the glow of sunrise.
An indigo-skinned elf rode next to him on her own horse. She looked entirely emotionless, though, as she stared into the distance with her blank yellow eyes.
“You here?” Daniel asked.
There was a moment’s pause, and then the elf’s expression suddenly looked a whole lot more like Mira.
“Yeah, I’m here. What good are we going to do, though, if we’ve got to ride three more days to Blackstone?”
“Nobody said you had to RIDE to Blackstone,” Rebecca’s voice spoke out of thin air.
“Jeez!” Mira yelped, startled by the voice.
“Is my dad there with you, Dr. Wolff?” Daniel asked.
“He is, but we’ve decided to limit communication to a single point of contact to avoid confusion. Since I can manipulate the coding faster and easier than he can, we’ve decided it will be me.”
Shattered Lands 2 The Fall Of Blackstone: A LitRPG Series Page 7
